Deeper than blood
by Taywahowse
Summary: When Aberforth leads the golden trio in to the forbidden forest not hours after the final battle, none knew really what they were signing themselves up for. Resurrecting Dumbledore's spy Severus Snape. Snape returns to the land of the living and finds himself drawn to Hermione and not quite himself.
1. Bloody Oath

Deeper than Blood

By TaywaHowse

"You all need to understand that the magic we preform here tonight must never be spoken of again" The old man looked upon the three teenagers sternly, waiting and fully expecting compliance.

"This magic is very old, very powerful and very dark. One must make a pact with Death himself."

"Bloody Hell, I'm not sure I'm cool with this" Ron spluttered, his pale freckled face turning sickly green.

"Nor am I, Which is why we had to bring him here" Aberforth nodded glancing down at the dead man's body.

"Harry" He suddenly barked, broken from his reverie, "This is where you dropped it?"

The shortish boy with glasses stumbled forward.

"Yes, yes sir, right around here" as he spoke his head swivelled surveying the small clearing.

"Very well, _Accio stone!_"Aberforth commanded with a demanding flick of his wand. After a tense moment of absolute silence, the resurrection stone floated up of the ground, from just to the left of Hermione's feet, and drifted in to the palm of the old wizard's hand.

"We will harness the power of the pact made on this stone to satisfy Death. The stone will be absorbed in to your dear Professor's body, and destroyed, thus granting him life renewed. Reanimation if you will."

Both boys turned to their resident know it all for conformation, and when she nodded solemnly they simultaneously gulped.

"The spell requires two people, one both older than the other caster and also the deceased, the other…"

"I'll do it," Harry stepped forward with a grimace, unsheathing his wand.

Aberforth Held up his hand.

"I'm afraid you can't Mr Potter, nor you Weasley, it must be Miss Granger" Aberforth turned the power of his dark eyes on the bushy headed girl.

"Why me sir?"

Somehow it almost appeared as if Aberforth was blushing under his unkempt beard.

"Because, you are the only virgin present tonight, it must be your blood we let"

"You're a virgin Hermione?" Ron's mouth dropped open, whilst Harry just stared at the ground uncomfortably.

The girl flashed a look of pure annoyance at the red head, and folded her arms, in defiance.

"Yes in fact Ronald I am and I see no reason to be ashamed of that fact."

"No wait no, I didn't mean" Ron blanched backtracking.

"Enough dallying. Miss Granger unbutton Severus's shirt and kneel astride him" Mr Dumbledore ordered frowning at Ron's display of intensity. When Ron blushed redder at Aberforth's glare, the old man produced a moth bitten roll of parchment from the folds of his slightly battle scared regal robes.

Hermione nervously crouched over the former bat of the dungeons and divested him of his shirt and cravat.

"Good now sit down on him woman, I haven't got all night" Aberforth ordered with a roll of his eyes.

Hermione blushed and gingerly eased herself down on to Snape's somewhat bony hips.

"Hold out your hand". She glanced up to see Aberforth standing beside her, a deadly looking knife held firmly in his grip. With a deep breath, Hermione raised her porcelain white palm up, her hand shaking slightly. To her surprise he did not slice her hand, but simply relinquished the knife to her.

"You must cut from the tip of your wedding finger, to your wrist, not to deep, we don't need another fatality on our hands" Aberforth warned.

"Then speak these words clearly" he ordered placing the resurrection stone carefully over Snape's still heart.

"I give my pure blood, to your tainted.

I give my vitality and virtue to your fragility and deprivation

And my strength and presence to your abyss.

I call upon Death and give up to thee, a gift, of undefinable importance,

I name thee resurrection stone to be returned to its creator in exchange for the one Severus Tobias Snape." Aberforth recited from the ancient scroll.

Hermione, with a look of determination and absolute concentration, dragged the sacrificial dagger through her flash and repeated the vows word for word.

A burning heat travelled down her arm and she realized that Aberforth was casting a spell that twined down through her and flowed sluggishly in to the corpse of the man who had thanklessly protected them all for so long.

Aberforth was chanting darwfian and a flaming pentagram erupted around them announcing Death's presence. Hermione could her nothing over the howling winds created by the devilish magic.

Then suddenly everything stopped.

The chanting, the flames, the forest, Harry, Ron, Aberforth, they all just melted away. Hermione found herself looking in to black bottomless eyes. A shadow fell across them both. All the warmth faded.

Snape took in a ragged breath.

"TAITOR!" Something more animal then human screamed. Harry and Ron spun, to face Fenrir Greyback bounded on four legs towards them. He charged through both boys knocking them aside with a single vicious swipe of his talon like nails.

Aberforth raised his wand but was lifted up and thrown like a rag doll against a tree. Greyback leaped, tackling Hermione to the ground.

"YOU DARE BRING THE TRAITOR SCUM BACK YOU FILTHY MUDBLOOD WHORE!" Fangs snapped inches from her face, flinging saliva at her face.

Before Hermione could even scream from the terrible burning sensation, there came a half gurgled growl, that did not come from the werewolf and then abruptly his weigh flew off of her.

Snape staggered, half naked, and covered in Hermione's blood, fresh blood oozing from the gaping hole in his neck. Greyback tried to scramble to his feet, but he never got the chance.

Snape rose both fists up in the air and swung down with almost inhuman strength, repeatedly pelting the wolfman until he stayed down.

His face was contorted with absolute hatred, no one dared interrupt him.

With both hands he gripped Fenrir's matted head, and with a sharp yank snapped his neck with a sickening click. The fight left Fenrir's body immediately. The werewolf who had terrorised so many, including Remus Lupin, lay dead at Severus' Snape's feet.

The golden trio stood frozen in shock as Snape stood panting heavily.

"Severus my dear boy" Aberforth called softly, holding his hands out towards him.

Snape's body spun in a flash of an eye, to face the voice his teeth clenched.

"Hermione, quick, come on" Ron hissed motioning towards her with his hands.

Snape roared suddenly aware of the other people standing in the clearing with him and Mr Dumbledore.

"Err hi Professor, how are you feeling" Ron rather stupidly asked, causing Snape to charge forward at them, intent to kill again.

"NO!" Hermione screamed.

He immediately skidded to a halt. Relief swept through Hermione's slender body, until he turned his black eyes on her and began to stalk towards her.

"Oh my poor child" Aberforth croaked, getting to his feet.

Snape backed Hermione up in to a corner; she whipped her wand out and pointed it right at his newly beating heart. Snape froze mare inches away from the tip of the wand.

"Stop! Don't come any closer! Don't make me hurt you!" her voice was firm even though her wand hand shook.

Snape frowned and tilted his head to the side.

"He won't hurt you Miss Granger" Aberforth's voice rung around the forbidden forest.

Snape let out a confused whimper, his hand reaching up to grasp the end of her wand.

"Let him come to you child" Dumbledore spoke calmly, even though his face was grim.

Slowly Snape pushed her wand downwards and he took a loping step forwards.

Hermione's eyes where wide, as he reached forwards with a feather light touch, caressed her face with his blood stained fingers. His touch was delicate and shaky, at odds with the trail of blood he left behind.

Hermione couldn't help but flinch at the foreign touch, and the effect this reaction had on Snape was devastating.

His hand jerked away and the man let out a pained whine. He sunk to his knees pitifully and stared at his violently shaking hands; painted red with Fenrir's spilt blood.

Snape cried out in anguish.


	2. Who am I?

Hermione looked from the sobbing wreck of a man, to her best friends, looking for reassurance.

She was lost, so were they, nobody could understand why Snape was so distraught. Shouldn't he be happy to be alive, happy at a second chance?

Cautiously Aberforth came over, and whether Snape now realized the aging wizard was no threat to his person, or if he was just to besides himself to care, he allowed Aberforth near enough to place a gentle hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"What's wrong with him Mr Dumbledore?" her voice choked up in spite of herself, she crouched down besides Snape's shaking frame and allowed the man to cling to her.

"I believe, he might be slightly brain damaged" Aberforth frowned. "Possibly due to the lack of oxygen and blood circulation when he was ah, formerly deceased"

"I know that!" She snapped stroking Snape's hair, which was in desperate need of a trim. Snape who on any other day would have no doubt, scorned her and assigned several detentions not to mention the loss of house points for daring to touch his frame, had his bare arms wrapped around Hermione's waist, His face pressed against her chest or more specifically and embarrassingly against her breasts, as huge racking sobs tore through him.

"What I want to know is, Why did he come to me, why hasn't he attacked me, he looked ready to kill you all, but with me"

"it's quite simple, He belongs to you know Hermione. You are his creator, you breathed life in to him, and your blood is his blood"

"Then how come he growled at you?"

"It's not my virgin blood that runs through his veins, feeding life in to him; you are literally the one person on the earth that he is able to feel some sort of connection with. Who knows perhaps in time, Severus's brain will heal itself, reform broken connections, mend all the lose wires. But the reality is that you made a pact with Death for Severus's soul. If Death had rejected the offering of the resurrection stone, undoubtedly, it would have claimed you instead"

"How come you didn't tell us that part?" Ron stepped forward looking quite pissed off.

"Because you wouldn't have allowed your Girlfriend to do what needed to be done" Aberforth turned and glowered at the boy.

In this time miraculously Snape had managed to calm himself and was now staring up at Hermione with a look of adoration, mixed with contentment.

"Basically whatever Severus manages to regain of his previous life, the fact remains that he is now and will always be bound to you, and you to him" Aberforth gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"WHAT?!" both boys chirped up from their spot on the side-lines.

"What have you done Aberforth" Hermione trembled getting to her feet; Snape managed to slip his hand in to hers and clambered up as well.

"What was necessary" Aberforth sighed warily and suddenly seemed a hundred years older, and much more like his brother then was strictly healthy.

"Now we must get him back up to the school that hole in his neck from that blasted snake is still weeping blood. Come on my boy put your cloak on that's a good lad", he crooned draping the Professors bellowing cloak around his shoulders. Snape looked wary but at with an affirming nod from Hermione he attempted an odd sort of smile, readjusted the cloak and took Hermione's hand firmly again.

"What does that creep think he's doing holding your hand in his clammy zombie one" Ron sneered in disgust.

"Leave him alone Ronald, you heard what Mr Dumbledore said, he's just like a frightened kid right now, besides isn't it good he feels safe, at least when he's like this he isn't killing anything" Hermione snapped, gripping Snape's cold hand firmly.

As if to prove Hermione's point when Ron made the fatal error of trying to grab Hermione's hand he found himself flat on his back, Snape growling down at him.

"Oh come on!" Ron groaned, stamping his fists, in to the ground.

"Ron just shut up and stay away from Hermione, unless you want to end up apart of the headless clan! And start walking would you, I'm freezing my ass off" Harry ordered helping his red head friend to his feet.

"Hey, it's okay" Hermione said softly, smiling reassuringly at Snape.

"Everything's fine" she squeezed his hand, and began to walk forward. Snape stumbled and then loped along besides her.

Chapter 3: Severus POV

Her hand is warm. I am cold and her hand is warm, it is nice. I am much bigger than her, have to watch my steps, otherwise she trips, don't mind catching her, but she looks unhappy when she falls, so I walk smaller, slow steps.

I don't like these trees, to many sounds, makes me nervous, want to protect my mate, hard when I don't know where the enemy lays. Have to watch the others too, she's not afraid of them, but I watch, if one of them makes a move, I'll kill them dead.

I know I'm dumb, I know I'm not right, when I try to talk, they all look confused, guess I'm not saying what I'm thinking.

The girl is afraid of me, but she holds my hand, she hugged me, I won't hurt her, I won't let myself.

She is beautiful, pretty smelling hair, skin like snow. her eyes are innocent, she is good, I know she's good and she is mine. Don't think she knows it yet, keeps smiling at the worried looking red boy. But she not belong to him, I am hers, she is mine, this I know.

Little one is shaking, why?

"C-cold?"

She looks at me shocked, all big eyes, and rosy cheeks.

"You spoke" She smiled and gripped my face in her soft hands.

I feel the corners of my mouth turn up to mirror hers, she's so happy.

"Say that again" she encouraged.

I have to think, concentrate really hard, think about how every letter sounds, how they are strung together.

"Are y-you …. C-c-col-d?" yes that sounds about right, still the talk of someone stupid but, words proper words.

The three men's faces loamed in mine, they, well the grizzled one and the green eyed one are smiling but the red one is smirking.

"Boy he's really dumb huh, like worse than Crabbe and Goyle dumb" he sniggered.

That hurt, don't know who Crab or Golly are but still.

"Ouch Hermione!" the dumb one yelped when she wacked him, see there now I turned it back on him, ha.

The girl was looking back at me now.

"Yes Professor, I am a little chilly" she answered.

With a nod I shrugged out of my coat and wrapped it around her like the grizzled one had done to me earlier.

"No Sir, you need this more than me, you don't have a shirt or anything"

"n-No lil- little one, y-you are c-cold, y-you need it m-more…t-than me" I declined and fastened the buttons.

"Thank you Sir" she grips my hand again.

But now I'm worried, doesn't she mind my hand being so cold; am I what the dumb one called me? A… a clammy zombie? What does that mean is there something wrong with me? Other than my being dumb that is?

No girl is strong she would push me away if she didn't want me too…. But she did at first, pointed her stick at me, strange stick, somehow I knew it could do me harm, not sure why, it was just a stick.

Finally the trees ran out, girl patted my arm and point up ahead.

"Look see we're almost there". Castle, gothic and big, in pieces, smoking.

"H-home?" I frown.

"Yes Professor this is home" she nodded, she looked sad.

"S-sev-sev-ur-us"

"Huh" she frowned confused.

"Mh-my name is-s Sev-ur-us" I force the words out, my head hurts, too much concentration I think.

"That's right, that's your name," she smiled brightly, "And I'm Hermione."

"Hu-her….har" she looks disappointed, my heart sinks, and it's just such a damn mouthful.

"Do you remember me Professor?" she asks tentatively. We had reached the front doors, well what was left of them. People were staring at me, rising to their feet.

I frowned and shook my head, "No".

"Hold on there Potter, I though you said the traitor was dead!" A tall dark boy sneered.

"What the bloody hell are you playing at, bringing him back here!" someone else shouted, a girl by the sound of it.

"Come on Hermione" the green eyed boy grumbled grabbing my other hand, he pulled us both onward.


	3. scottish confrontation

CHAPTER 4: Hermione POV

Snape turned and gave me a pleading look as Harry dragged us along, I don't think he's that impressed with Harry touching him. It was so strange to see such an overwhelmingly innocent look on the face of such a dark conflicted wizards face. The fact that it was Professor Snape my former Potions teacher and technically still current headmaster of Hogwarts, was simply unnerving.

"It's okay Sir, Harry's just protecting us" I whispered squeezing his hand reassuringly the creases in his sallow skin lighten, he nods almost imperceptivity. Why such blind, unwavering faith? A crowd was quickly gathering and the stressed Look Harry shot at me proved he was on the same page as me. We needed to get Snape away from here as quickly as possible, before things got messy.

"My… n-name is Sev-ur-us" He grumbled, sounding like a putout child.

"Yeah probably not a good time to start announcing yourself sir," I glanced around franticly, watching as we were closed in from all sides.

"Severus" he growled.

"Professor just please, just calm down" I patted his forearm nervously.

"SEVERUS! MY N-NAME IS….. SEV-er-us" His bellowed sentence seem to run out of steam towards the end, perhaps with the realization that everybody in the room had gone absolutely silent.

If looks could kill.

"FINNIGAN, CREEVY OUT OF THE BLASTED WAY!" my god you could almost taste the Scottish in that accent. The crowd parted like the red sea, only for Professor McGonagall to walk through of course.

"Now, now Minerva it's not what it looks like" Aberforth stepped forward and raised his hands.

The stern little witch froze mid step, finger trembling as it pointed, a hysterical laugh tore through her throat and then she actually screamed. Her tightly coiled bun not strong enough to resist the sudden shaking, it tumbled free down her shoulders. It was so horrifically out of character that Neville Longbottom the usually shy clumsy Gryffindor started forward out of the crowd and offered his arm up to support the poor woman.

"Thank you Mr Longbottom" McGonagall rasped one hand clasping her bosom, the other gripping Neville's bare forearm in a death grip. The boys arm was beginning to turn an interesting shade of blue.

"Ergh" Snape murmured nervously, shifting from one foot to the other.

"How Dare you" The Gryffindor Lioness stepped forward, releasing Neville just before his arm could drop off. She strode up to Aberforth and slapped him hard across the face. Hermione almost found herself giggling at the visible flinch Snape made, it was so unsnapelike.

"Your own brother Aberforth" Professor McGonagall's voice had gone very quiet; somehow this was more frightening to everybody, then the yelling.

"Minerva darling girl there are things you don't understand" Aberforth stroked her cheek affectionately.

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND?! What could I possibly not understand, that, that …fiend murdered your own flesh and blood, SEVERUS SNAPE MURDERED ALBUS DUMBLEDORE!" she ripped Aberforth's hand away from her face, she was shaking violently.

Snape made a soft whining noise, and Professor McGonagall's wrath focused on him.

"And you"…. Hermione never knew the word 'you' could be so drawn out and menacing.

"You have some serious balls showing your face around here Snape" She bristled.

The hall let out a collective gasp, had their beloved teacher really just said 'balls'.

"T-this is my h-home" Snape frowned confused.

McGonagall's mouth formed a comical 'o', luckily before the candles could blow out from all the magical tension, Harry stepped in front of Snape, effectively shielding him.

"Professor, please, there is much to discuss but right now Professor Snape…"

"SEVERUS!" the damaged man roared, stamping his foot.

"Shh Severus" I murmured, pulling him close.

"Um right uh, Severus is in need of medical attention, he needs to see Madam Pomfrey as quickly as possible. It's been a long night for everyone involved I think. So please if you would let Hermione and Sn- … Severus pass, Mr Dumbledore and I will gladly explain everything in private over a nice cuppa tea".

It was moment's like these where Harry reminded us all just how much pressure and responsibility ages a person. Here he stood, barely a man, and yet for now, however briefly, he was the most controlled and rational person in the room.

"Mr Potter, what is the meaning of all of this" McGonagall's hand when to her heart as if she just realised Harry was there.

"Hermione, Ron, take Severus and go, now, please" He ordered.

I leant over and rubbed his arm "You always manage to surprise me Harry Potter" I smiled.

"Yeah I surprise myself too" He chuckled, and gave me a gentle shove out of the hall.


End file.
